Samantha Kiessling: sakiessling@ursinus.edu
Check out two of the Class of 2023’s Honors projects.
Name: Kate Isabel Foley
Major(s)/Minor(s): English and Theatre / Creative Writing and Gender and Women’s Sexuality Studies
Project Title: Pride and Prejudice at Pemberley College – a full-length concert reading
Advisor Name: Dr. Meghan Brodie
What is the Project About and Why Did You Choose It: In the course of studying LGBTQ topics in a queer drama class, I noticed a glaring omission in our readings: the “B.” However, this lack of bisexual representation wasn’t due to a poor syllabus, but to a dismaying lack of bisexual representation in theatre as a whole. This observation, as well as my own experience as a bisexual woman, motivated me to use my love of writing and theatre to fill the void. After performing in Pride and Prejudice at Ursinus, I knew Jane Austen’s story was the key to me bringing visibility to an underserved, misunderstood, and often forgotten community. What better way to make bisexual women main players on the stage than to adapt an early feminist piece? Beginning as a Summer Fellows project, my research endeavored to answer the following question: “How can a writer use old stories to shine new light on modern issues, making the invisible visible?” So much of the criticism bisexual people face could be eradicated if there were less misinformation about bisexuality and more visibility as a whole. In order to decrease biphobia, we must increase and promote bisexual representation, especially media written/created by people who identify as bisexual. As a bisexual writer drafting a script with a bisexual protagonist, I’m taking steps to amplify bi voices.
See Pride and Prejudice at Pemberly College: a Concert Reading April 19 (COSA) at 7pm.
Name: Laura Rothschild
Major(s)/Minor(s): Health and Exercise Physiology / Biology, Science and the Common Good Project
Title: Associations between Sex Hormones and SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies
Advisor Name: Dr. Nicole Ivaska
What is the Project About and Why Did You Choose It: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between sex hormone levels and the presence of COVID-19 antibodies. Previous research indicated that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted me… Thus, I wanted to see if the antibody presence, or the immune response to reinfection was greater in one sex versus the other. I chose this study because as I worked at the hospital throughout the pandemic, I noticed that almost all of my severely ill COVID-19 patients were men. This furthered my interest in understanding how the virus impacts individuals differently based on sex hormones.